Carlos Prats

Carlos Prats (24 February 1915-30 September 1974) was the commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army and Minister of the Interior (de facto Vice-President) from 27 October 1970 to 23 August 1973, succeeding Rene Schneider and preceding Augusto Pinochet.

Biography
Carlos Prats was born on 24 February 1915 in Talcahuano, Chile, and in 1931 he graduated from a military school for the Chilean Army at the top of his class. In 1935 he was commissioned as an artillery officer, and in 1964 he was sent as a military attache to Argentina with the rank of colonel. In 1968 he became Chief of the General Staff, and two years later he finally became commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. Prats was the army's strongest supporter of President Salvador Allende, and in 1972 he was appointed as his Vice-President. However, on 23 August 1973 he was forced to resign his post after the wives of his officers protested against the lack of repression against the protesters on the streets, and two of his generals resigned in a display of support for him. Augusto Pinochet became the new commander-in-chief and led the 11 September 1973 coup against Allende. Prats went into exile in Argentina after the coup.

On 30 September 1974, Pinochet's DINA intelligence agency detonated a radio-controlled car bomb outside of Prats' apartment in Buenos Aires, killing him and his wife Sofia. Michael Townley, an American professional assassin, carried out the assassination, one of his many DINA operations (Orlando Letelier was killed by him in 1976).